TLDR MARKETING 2026-01-13

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EARLY AI SIGNALS FROM HOLIDAY SALES

Direct AI-driven ecommerce traffic remained small despite fast growth last year. US online holiday sales hit $257.8B, up 6.8%. Salesforce estimated that AI influenced 20% of Christmas retail spending. Adobe reported a 693% jump in AI-driven traffic, but the gains came from small baselines, and it did not share AI's share of total traffic or revenue. Most AI referrals came from desktop at 73% and concentrated in research-heavy categories like electronics and appliances. AI is affecting consideration more than clicks or final purchases.

HOW RISING RETAIL BRANDS USE INFLUENCERS TO COMBAT DIGITAL OVERLOAD

Rising retail brands are leaning on influencers and everyday creators to cut through digital fatigue. They're using community-driven content to amplify organic moments. Authentic creator networks help brands capitalize on unexpected virality and reach consumers who are weary of traditional ads. Beyond Yoga and Mejuri now treat community as a core function. They're tapping niche creators and turning strong organic posts into paid media. Demand for human-centered creators is growing.

VIBE CODING TIP: FINE-TUNE AN LLM ON YOUR LINKEDIN POSTS WITH CLAUDE CODE

Collect at least 50 LinkedIn posts and convert them into JSONL training data using the Claude browser extension. Use Claude to validate the JSONL file and then kick off a Python script to start fine-tuning your model. Generate new LinkedIn posts in your voice by prompting the model with topics. Refine its output by giving the model feedback and asking it to adjust the system prompt.

FIND BOT CLICKS IN YOUR EMAILS

Add a random link to a period at the end of one paragraph to roughly measure how many bot clicks are inflating your reporting.

Plaid case study.

DEFINING, MEASURING & WINNING WITH QUALITY CONTENT IN 2026 (WEBINAR)

Three SEO experts will discuss how to define "good content" for search beyond traffic and rankings. They'll share frameworks for building and measuring high-quality content and site-wide UX and technical issues that can hold great content back. The free event will take place on January 15 at 10 AM PT.

GOOGLE'S NEW TECH WILL LET YOU BUY STUFF DIRECTLY FROM AN AI CHATBOT

Google's Universal Commerce Protocol is a new open standard that allows users to complete purchases directly inside AI chatbot conversations. Built with retailers like Shopify, Walmart, and Wayfair, the system enables shoppers to browse, select, and buy products without leaving the chat interface. Payments will run through Google Pay with shipping details pulled from Google Wallet.

DISNEY UNVEILS TIKTOK-LIKE VERTICAL VIDEO, AI VIDEO GENERATION TOOL

Disney is rolling out a TikTok-style vertical video format across its digital platforms. It's expanding beyond ESPN into news and entertainment to drive more frequent, daily engagement. The company has introduced an AI video generation tool that lets advertisers create and version ads from existing brand assets, plus an AI-powered planning tool that captures objectives, audience intent, timing, and constraints.

EVERYTHING IS TV AND NOTHING IS TV

Consumer AI is evolving toward TV as digital behavior shifts to video. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and podcasts are dominated by passive viewing. As generative media improves, AI products will resemble TV through personalized and endless shows. At the same time, AI will drive major cost declines across industries by automating labor and turning services into software, similar to how TV prices fell 98% since 2000. These efficiency gains follow Jevons' Paradox, where lower costs raise demand and expand markets rather than replace them.

WHAT THE PERPLEXITY-AMAZON LAWSUIT COULD MEAN FOR DIGITAL ADVERTISING

Amazon's lawsuit against Perplexity AI centers on whether agentic shopping tools undermine ad-supported commerce by bypassing promotions and brand-controlled experiences. Amazon claims Perplexity's Comet agent poses security risks and disguises automated activity as human behavior. Perplexity argues the real issue is lost advertising exposure when AI agents shop instead of people. If agents transact without seeing ads, retailers risk losing both media revenue and direct customer relationships.

FROM TRENDING SOUND TO $43 MILLION LEGAL RECEIPT

CORPORATE VS. PERSONAL HANDLES

Use personal handles of trusted thought leaders instead of corporate accounts to reach your audience.